Self-kidnap plan flops in Sosua

The Police reported the arrest of a Dominican woman, Enerolisa Paulino, accused of plotting her own abduction in a bid to extort money from her husband, a German merchant. A ransom of EUR5,000 (about 296,672 pesos) had been demanded. The Police accused Noelia Martinez of being Paulino’s accomplice when making the call for the ransom. Martinez admitted to authorities that Paulino needed the money to pay for health care for her father. Agents under the Criminal Investigations department in Cabarete “rescued” the woman in the municipality of Sosua, Puerto Plata. Both continue to be investigated by the Police in Puerto Plata.

The German national had reported on Tuesday that his wife was missing after receiving a telephone call asking for a ransom of EUR5,000 or else they would kill the woman. The worried husband informed the authorities of the “kidnap”. But Police investigators quickly determined that there was a strong possibility that the kidnap was a hoax.